Waterbury evening Democrat., 1887-12-08
CHAPTER xI.
A DIRECT RAILROAD CHASE.

CHAPTER xI.
 DIRECT RAILROAD CHASE.
 But we now had good head of steam, and with joyful bound our engine, as if refreshed from it's rest, sped on again. We had been careful to so obstruct the track that the enemy was obliged to come to full halt, and thus give us time to once more get out of sight.
 We passed Triton in safety, and the water station, which at that time was at a different place from the wood yard, was soon reached. Our supply of this neces- would be at once arrested. We stopped, adjusted the pipes, told the powder story although from the battered appearance of our only car, with hole knocked
 each end, that story was no longer plaus- ible, but it answered for the moment and we succeeded in getting all the water we needed. Had any objection been made we would have taken it by force, and the assurance with which we went to work aided in securing confidence. Before the tank was full the pursuers came in sight, but seeing us they ran slowly, and as party of our men had run back and put | some obStructions on the track, out of gun shot, they were obliged to come to full stop there, thus giving us the time needed. Then we mounted and sped on toward Dalton.
 It was advisable at once to get deci- Sively ahead of the pursuers before reach ing this town, which might present seri- ous difficulties. AS there were no bridges to burn now for a considerable distance, the only other thing was to try once more to tear up the track. The engine was again in good running condition, and we rushed rapidly forward, putting frequent l Instructions on the track-mostly by drop ping ties or sticks of firewood, but in one or two instances by reversing the engine, | jumping out and piling up Instructions. At a favorable place we stopped again for | a more permanent break.
 Long practice had made us skillful in l this matter, and the last two stops had shown us that the enemy could not run | upon us without great care. So we divided at once into four parties. Scott | and 8 companion cut the telegraph; Knight carefully inspected the engine; | two or three ran back just out of gum shot, and heaped Instructions on the | track while the remainder worked with might and main in taking up 0 rail. It was here that 0 little occurrence took | place that has been much misrepresented. | southern account, widely copied, I says that Andrews men almost mutinied against him at this place. The facts | are these: The writer and the men in the box car had come to feel that there was no need of running so long before the pur- suing train, which we could see to be Q short one, with probably not much if any greater force than our own. Now while as mon were at the rail as could find | places fo work-the process of lifting it with our imperfect tools was very slow, requiring more than five minutes-I said | fO ArI Va
 if you are willing.'
 ''How?'' he asked. I answered.:
 "Find a good place on 8 curve where there are plenty of bushes" las the road had numberless curves, and ran mostly through woods, this was easy); "then leI us put on some Instructions and hide; one of our engineers can run ahead a mile or | two and come back after us; when the enemy stop to clear the track we will rush on them, and when we have captured them our other engineer can reverse their engine and send it in hurry down the track to clear the road of any more trains that may be following.''
 Andrews said, in his quiet way, s'It is a good plan. It is worth trying" and looked around in a meditative manner as | if weighing the chances. Then the enemy's whistle sounded, we saw them rush up to the Instructions we had placed on the track, stop by reversing, and labor as frantically to clear the road as we were doing in trying to raise the rail.
 But our efforts were in vain. The 1 stubborn spikes still held, and as they were ready to move on again, Andrews called out, 'sAll aboard,' and we dashed away. That was not the place to make a l fight, as we all knew, for revolvers against | shotguns and rifles would have had no l chance at long range; but from an am- bush we could have been climbing into their engine and cars before they could | pick up their guns, and the conflict would not have been many minutes doubtful. This was the nearest we came to what Q southern account called "open mutiny''- mere respectful suggestion in the line of our work No officer was ever more heartily obeyed than was Andrews during the whole of this day, and none of us said l anything more about this plan for the time, partly because we felt that our leader was better able to judge what was to be done than we, and partly also, must confess, because we thought he was only waiting for the best place to turn on our foes, and that we would soon have all the fighting we wanted.
 The full speed of our engine was again called into requisition as we neared Dal- ton, and by the aid of few ties dropped on the track we were once more respect able distance ahead. We needed this interval badly, for it was by no means certain that the switches at this point would be properly adjusted for our i'm mediate passage through; and if not, se- rious difficulty might arise. We might have a battle with forces in front as we'll as in the rear, for Dalton was the largest I town we had reached since leaving Mariatta Here a road diYerged to CleYe-